Not always, and probably not even often, but with temperatures finally starting to rise, a crisp salad can be both refreshing and welcome. Especially if you've spent the last seven months putting down rib eye steaks, garlic mashed potatoes, fried chicken and the like.

Often, however, salads are just too boring, too played to get me interested enough to actually order. Relegated to the space below the appetizers on many menus, salads seem to exist out of obligation, not because the chef actually wants them ordered.

There are exceptions, I know, and I'm hoping you'll help me find and share them with our readers. One such salad is the Field Greens and Goat Cheese salad at Wild Sage Grille (above).

I'm a sucker for Poppy Seed Vinaigrette dressing, and the homemade version served on top of this salad is outstanding. Mandarin oranges, red onion, dried cranberries, toasted pecans and crumbles of soft goat cheese keep this dish interesting with each bite. Sweet, tart, rich, bright and refreshing. And a decent size too. Certainly big enough to be filling (another common complaint about salads).

Not only would I recommend it, but I will be grabbing this salad the next time I'm at Wild Sage.

But again, this is but one example of a great salad. Where are some others I need to try?!